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A partner at a large law firm in Canary Wharf (no names, but it begins with C) was due to speak at a conference in Luxembourg at 9am. He booked a seat on the last Luxair flight to the Grand Duchy from nearby City Airport, but was told on arrival that the aircraft was overbooked and that it mattered not that he was a lawyer nor that he had a fully paid ticket.

After an hour trying to work out how to get to Luxembourg on time, he did what most men do in an emergency: he called his wife. She suggested he phone the car firm that drives him home most nights to take him to Luxembourg.

He was quoted £900 for the trip in his usual Mercedes – or £650 in a “normal” car. So, the partner sat for seven hours in the back of a Skoda Octavia enduring the driver recount his passion for wicker furniture. He arrived just in time to shave and give his speech.

The happy ending is that after bringing the full force of his firm to bear on Luxair, the country’s tiny airline has refunded him the £650 cab fare. The moral of the story? Don’t agree to early morning presentations in Luxembourg. And check your lawyers’ travel expenses carefully.